Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reacted to the news of LeBron James breaking his NBA scoring record, saying that Jame deserves all the credit for his longevity and domination.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar saw live how LeBron James breaks his NBA scoring record and reacted to the news by praising the Los Angeles Lakers star.
Player of the Game | |
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27
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Jaylin Williams | |
Points | 14 |
Accuracy | 4-6 |
Rebounds | 7 |
Assists | 7 |
"LeBron's career is one of someone who planned to dominate this game," Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview with TNT after the game. "And it's gone for almost 20 years now You have to give him credit for just the way he played and for the way he's lasted and dominated. He has that indefinable essence that they call leadership."
James made a step-back jumper with 10.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter, scoring his 36th point of the night and breaking Kareem's record. The game was temporarily stopped to honor LeBron's achievement.
James finished the game with 38 points (9/14 2PT, 4/6 3PT, 8/10 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 turnovers.
Abdul-Jabbar has been atop the career points list since April 5, 1984, when he broke the mark previously held by Wilt Chamberlain. Now, James is the new record holder.
"I thought it had every chance of being broken," Abdul-Jabbar continued. "It just had to have someone that the offense focused on continually."
As the youngest player ever to score each thousand-point milestone from 1,000 to 38,000 in league history, James, who is averaging 30.0 points this season, is also the oldest player to ever average 30 points per game.
Top 10 NBA All-Time points leaders
Rank | Player | Points | Games played | Minutes | FGM | FGA | FG% |
1. | LeBron James | 38,388 | 1,409 | 53,708 | 14,040 | 27,809 | 50.5 |
2. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 | 1,560 | 57,446 | 15,837 | 28,307 | 55.9 |
3. | Karl Malone | 36,928 | 1,476 | 54,852 | 13,528 | 26,210 | 51.6 |
4. | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 | 1,346 | 48,643 | 11,719 | 26,200 | 44.7 |
5. | Michael Jordan | 32,292 | 1,072 | 41,010 | 12,192 | 24,537 | 49.7 |
6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | 1,522 | 51,367 | 11,169 | 23,734 | 47.1 |
7. | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 | 1,045 | 47,859 | 12,681 | 23,497 | 54.0 |
8. | Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | 1,207 | 41,917 | 11,330 | 19,457 | 58.2 |
9. | Carmelo Anthony | 28,289 | 1,260 | 43,513 | 10,119 | 22,643 | 44.7 |
10. | Moses Malone | 27,409 | 1,329 | 45,071 | 9,435 | 19,225 | 49.1 |